CINCINNATI — As a Cincinnati native, Brent Suter had quite the homecoming weekend.
It started Thursday when he spent the off-day back in his own house and slept in his own bed. It continued Friday when the Reds welcomed him back with a nice pre-game ceremony. It was a ceremony so special to the veteran 36-year-old lefty that he got choked up Sunday morning talking about it 36 hours later.
“It really has been amazing,” Suter told me. “We got even an off day. We flew in Wednesday night. Got an off day. All day Thursday, one of the best off days my life, honestly. And then this weekend, they did that ceremony for me. On Friday night, I was just tearing up. The whole day was I just meant so much. And then they sent me a couple photo books, a couple photo books of my time here. And just, it’s unbelievable. Yeah, I mean, like, really, really appreciate that. And yeah, it’s been one heck of a weekend for sure.
“I golfed a little bit my family. We had a tee times, actually, at the course right by my house, and so we just golfed behind them a little bit, and had a blast. And we went to Skyline, of course, a hot tub, time with my kiddos. Played with them all afternoon. It was just then my family came over that night, in-law’s family, my uncle and brother flew in. They were came over, and we were just hanging out, drinking a little bourbon on the driveway, doing a little shooting hoops and playing a little golf and stuff. It was just an amazing day.”
The Angels reliever and graduate of Moeller high school pitched in the only game his Angels lost but gave his team a chance to win after starter George Klassen could only go two innings before leaving with a fingernail injury.
He made an ill-fated dive for a TJ Friedl bunt in the sixth inning, eating more grass than a Pennsylvania cow.
It was comedic relief for a guy that brought so much joy to Cincinnati in his two seasons with the Reds. Who can forget his Terry Francona impersonations early last season and in the midst of a champagne celebration in the Milwaukee visitors’ clubhouse last September when the Reds clinched their playoff berth in the first season under Francona.
“We’ve played the videos so many times last year of him, and you’re not supposed to laugh at the opposing team. But I love the guy, and it’s just it’s hard not to laugh,” Francona said before Sunday’s game. “I mean, for a guy that’s probably could do anything he wants, he doesn’t take himself too serious, which is another factor why people like him so much. I mean, and then he saved them.”
Suter pitched in 95 games for the Reds over the 2024 and ’25 seasons. He was a rock in the Reds bullpen, doing what he’s doing now for the Angels, filling valuable innings wherever and whenever he was needed. Saturday, he came on for the Halos on short notice and tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing on two hits and giving the Angels a shot after their starter went just two innings.
The Angels are now experiencing and enjoying what teammates throughout baseball have known about the lefty since he broke into the Majors in 2016 with Milwaukee. Suter is pure class. And while results matter most, anyone who comes into contact with Suter in the game of baseball can’t help but be impacted by his positive energy.
“What I love about Suter is, one, he’s a tremendous guy in the clubhouse for the younger guys. Two, he’ll take the ball anytime you ask him to and then three, I mean, he comes out and does that,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I mean, saves the bullpen, gives us a chance to win. And really was efficient in what he was doing. And you root for a guy like Suter, just the type of guy he is. And you know, guys had a great career, so it’s been, it’s been great having him around.
“I mean, that’s been his MO his whole career. You just don’t want him diving for baseballs. But I mean, this guy is just the first class guy. He attacks his own. He knows who he is. And, you know, like you said, it’s great for the young guys to watch him. He attacks guys, gets outs, and it’s fun to watch. This guy loves the game. He enjoys being at the ballpark. He’s grateful for everything that he’s achieved in his great career. I personally feel if he wants to, he can still play for some time, just because of one, you got to be a good guy to stay around for as long as he is, as well as being talented. So I think he’s got both.”
Naturally, he will always have a fond spot in his heart for Cincinnati. He still keeps a home here on the East side. His kids go to school here. He’ll always be a Cincinnatian.
But now he’s an Angel, his fourth team in 11 seasons. This season, he’s 0-1 but has a 2.08 ERA in six games.
“They’ve welcomed me with open arms here, and they were very straight up like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna pitch whenever, wherever, which is same as I’ve always done,” Suter said. “So, that was really cool. And they just, this is a great group of people, you know, organization, staff, coaches, players. I feel like I’ve played here my whole career with how much they’ve welcomed me. So it’s been really, really nice. I miss everybody with the Reds. Obviously, this is still home, but this is a really, really welcoming next chapter of my baseball career, and I’m really thankful for that.”
He even uses some of the same equipment from last year because of the red theme of both clubs.
“The glove cleats, everything was just from last year, still in good game condition,” Suter said. “So I’m holding on those cleats as long as I can. Those things are my favorite cleats ever. So, I’ll be riding those till they fall apart.”
Suter will be holding onto the memories of this weekend for a lifetime.
